Watch with bezel antenna configuration

ABSTRACT

A wrist-worn electronic device comprises a housing, a display, a location determining element, a first antenna, and second antenna. The housing includes a lower surface configured to contact a wearer&#39;s wrist, an opposing upper surface, and an internal cavity. The display is visible from the upper surface of the housing. The location determining element is configured to process a location signal to determine a current geolocation of the electronic device. The first antenna is positioned on the upper surface of the housing adjacent a perimeter of the display and electrically connected with the second antenna positioned at least partially within the internal cavity. The first antenna and second antenna function in cooperation to receive the location signal from a satellite-based positioning system and communicate the location signal to the location determining element.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of, and claims prioritybenefit to, co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. non-provisional patentapplication entitled “WATCH WITH BEZEL ANTENNA CONFIGURATION,”application Ser. No. 14/174,330, filed Feb. 6, 2014, which claims thebenefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional patent applicationentitled “WATCH WITH BEZEL ANTENNA CONFIGURATION,” Application Ser. No.61/762,662, filed Feb. 8, 2013. The above applications are herebyincorporated by reference into the current application in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Wrist-worn electronic devices often include functionality that may beused to track the wearer's current location, distance traveled,velocity, and other performance metrics or data. This functionality maybe provided by receiving positional information from a satellite-basedpositioning system such as the global positioning system (GPS). Toreceive signals from GPS satellites, one or more antennas may beincluded in the electronic device.

SUMMARY

Antennas used to receive GPS signals for a wrist-worn electronic deviceare often positioned inside a device housing. The housing forconventional electronic devices is commonly composed of non-metallicmaterials (e.g., plastic, rubber, glass, nylon, foam, polymers,silicone, vinyl, or a combination thereof) to enable the internalantenna to receive location signals, such as GPS signals, because anon-metallic housing does not impact or interfere with electromagneticfields around the internal antenna to the same extent as a metallic orsemi-metallic housing. While these internal antennas are capable ofreceiving GPS signals, applicant has discovered that improved signalreception may be achieved by placing at least one antenna or a portionof an antenna on the exterior of a metallic or semi-metallic housing.

Embodiments of the present technology provide a wrist-worn electronicdevice with an improved antenna configuration. The electronic devicebroadly comprises a housing, a display, a location determining element,and a first antenna. The housing includes a lower surface configured tocontact a wearer's wrist, an opposing upper surface, and an internalcavity. The display is positioned along the upper surface of the housingand is visible from the upper surface of the housing. The locationdetermining element is configured to process location signals todetermine a current geolocation of the electronic device. The firstantenna is configured to receive location signals from a satellite-basedpositioning system and communicate location signals to the locationdetermining element. The first antenna is positioned on the uppersurface of the housing along a perimeter of the display and capacitivelycoupled with an electronic component positioned in the internal cavity.The first antenna may be integrated with a bezel positioned on the uppersurface of the housing along a perimeter of the display.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspectsand advantages of the present technology will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present technology is described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wrist-worn electronic deviceincorporating an improved antenna configuration, constructed inaccordance with embodiments of the present technology, illustrating afirst antenna positioned on an outer surface of a housing;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 1 cut alonga vertical plane to expose a second antenna positioned within thehousing;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the electronic device of FIG. 1,illustrating the housing, the bezel, the first antenna, the secondantenna, a display, and a lens;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a wrist-worn electronic device incorporating animproved antenna configuration, constructed in accordance withembodiments of the present technology, illustrating a first antennaintegral with a bezel;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the electronic device of FIG. 4,illustrating the housing, the bezel, the first antenna, the secondantenna, the display, and a lens; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating functional componentsof the electronic device of FIG. 1.

The drawing figures do not limit the present technology to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the technology references theaccompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which thetechnology can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describeaspects of the technology in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the technology. Other embodiments can be utilizedand changes can be made without departing from the scope of the presenttechnology. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present technology isdefined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment mayalso be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinationsand/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments of the present technology provide an electronic device thatis worn on a user's wrist and that includes an improved antenna design.The electronic device may be a fitness watch, a wrist-worn smart phone,a wrist-worn navigation device, or other wearable multi-functionelectronic devices that include a housing and a wrist band, strap, orother attachment mechanism. Although the electronic device is typicallyworn on the wrist, the electronic device may also be worn on other partsof the body such as the forearm or the upper arm. The user wearing theelectronic device may be involved in activities such as street running,trail running, jogging, hiking, walking, biking, swimming, exercising,or the like. During these activities, the electronic device may monitorthe user's current location, distance traveled, velocity, and otherperformance metrics by receiving location signals from a satellite-basedpositioning system such as the global positioning system (GPS).Embodiments of the electronic device may include a pair of cooperativelycoupled antennas configured to receive the location signals. A firstantenna may be positioned on an upper surface on the exterior of thehousing, while a second antenna may be positioned inside the housing.The first antenna may be positioned on the upper surface of the housingby integrating at least a portion of the first antenna with a bezelpositioned on the upper surface of the housing or by integrating thefirst antenna with a bezel that is integral to the housing. The twoantennas may be capacitively coupled with one another such that theycooperatively receive the location signals and communicate them to alocation determining element for processing to determine the geolocationof the electronic device.

Embodiments of the technology will now be described in more detail withreference to the drawing figures. Referring initially to FIGS. 1-6, anexemplary wrist-worn electronic device 10 is illustrated. The electronicdevice 10 broadly comprises a housing 12, a display 14, a bezel 16, auser interface 18, a location determining element 20, a communicationelement 22, a processing element 24, a memory element 26, a firstantenna 28, and a second antenna 30. The electronic device 10 may alsoinclude a wrist band 32, a strap, or other attachment mechanisms.

The housing 12 generally houses or retains other components of theelectronic device 10 and may include or be coupled to the wrist band 32.The housing 12 may include a lower wall 34, an upper wall 36, at leastone sidewall 38, and an internal cavity 40. The lower wall 34 mayinclude a lower, outer surface that contacts the user's wrist while theuser is wearing the electronic device 10. The upper wall 36 opposes thelower wall 34 and may include an upper surface of housing 12. In someembodiments, portions of the one or more sidewalls 38 may be combinedwith the lower wall 34 and/or the upper wall 36 to form a top case and abottom case of housing 12. Internal cavity 40 may be formed when theseparable top and bottom cases of housing 12 are combined. The top caseand bottom case may be combined to form housing 12 by using an adhesive,screws or any combination thereof.

In embodiments, the bezel 16 may be integral to a portion of housing 12,such as upper wall 36. For example, bezel 16 may be integrated with theupper wall 36 and one or more sidewalls 38 such that the combinationforms a single component as a top case. In embodiments, the top case mayinclude one or more sidewalls 38 that may be combined with a bottom caseto form a complete housing. A bottom case may be formed by thecombination of a lower wall 34 and one or more sidewalls 38. The bezel16 may provide an upper area of the internal cavity 40 and enclose thelens 42 and display 14 within housing 12 when the top case is secured tothe bottom case. The bezel 16 may include a plurality of openings toallow screws to pass through the openings to secure the bezel 16 withother portions of the housing 12, such the sidewalls 38. Thus, the bezel16 may function as a structural component of housing 12. In embodiments,the first antenna 28 and/or second antenna 30 may pass through theopening to position a portion of either antenna on an external surfaceof housing 12.

In various embodiments, the upper wall 36 may further include acircular, square, or rectangular central opening that extends from theupper surface to the internal cavity 40. The internal cavity 40 mayretain components such as, but not limited to, the location determiningelement 20, the communication element 22, the processing element 24, thememory element 26, display 14, lens 42 and a conductive component, suchas the second antenna 30. In various embodiments, the second antenna 30may capacitively couple with the first antenna 28 integrated with atleast a portion of the bezel 16 positioned on an outer surface of theupper wall 36 or sidewall 38. In some embodiments, the lower wall 34,sidewalls 38 and upper wall 36 of the housing 12 may have a round,circular, or oval shape. In other embodiments, the lower and upper walls34, 36 may have a four-sided shape, such as a square or rectangle, orother polygonal shape, with the housing 12 including four or moresidewalls.

The display 14 generally presents the information mentioned above, suchas time of day, current location, and the like. The display 14 may beimplemented in one of the following technologies: light-emitting diode(LED), organic LED (OLED), Light Emitting Polymer (LEP) or Polymer LED(PLED), liquid crystal display (LCD), thin film transistor (TFT) LCD,LED side-lit or back-lit LCD, or the like, or combinations thereof. Insome embodiments, the display 14 may have a round, circular, or ovalshape. In other embodiments, the display 14 may possess a square or arectangular aspect ratio which may be viewed in either a landscape or aportrait orientation.

In exemplary embodiments seen in FIG. 2, the display 14 may be at leastpartially positioned in the internal cavity 40 of the housing 12, suchthat the display 14 is flush with a circular, square, or rectangularcentral opening of the upper wall 36 of the housing 12 through which thedisplay 14 may be viewed. Display 14 may be positioned along the uppersurface such that its inclusion in electronic device 10 provides asubstantially flat external surface of electronic device 10. Theelectronic device 10 may further include a lens 42 that is positioned onan upper surface of the display 14 to protect display 14 from externalelements, such as moisture and physical impact, while maintaining thevisibility of the information presented on the display 14.

The bezel 16 may be positioned on the upper surface of housing 12 andmay generally cover the perimeter edges of the display 14 or encircledisplay 14. The bezel 16 may be ring-shaped to conform to the shapes ofa circular or oval housing 12 and display 14 such that bezel 16 may bepositioned between the perimeters of housing 12 and display 14. Thebezel 16 may have an outer perimeter that is substantially the sameshape as the upper wall 36 of housing 12 and an inner perimeter that issubstantially the same shape as the outer perimeter of display 14. Forexample, the bezel 16 may have an inner edge with dimensions that aresmaller than or approximately equal to the perimeter dimensions of thedisplay 14 and an outer edge with dimensions that are approximatelyequal to the perimeter dimensions of the upper surface of the housing12. Thus, the bezel 16 may be circular, square, or rectangular with acentral opening through which the display 14 may be viewed. In variousembodiments, the bezel 16 may be aligned with the lens 42 positionedatop the display 14. The bezel 16 may be positioned on an upper surfaceof housing 12 along a perimeter of the display 14.

The bezel 16 may be composed of any material that may integrate ametallic or semi-metallic material associated with a first antenna 28and that may be positioned on or fixedly attached to an outer surface ofan upper wall of a metallic or semi-metallic housing 12. Bezel 16 may beoperable to receive the placement of a first antenna 28 constructed toconform to the shape and contours of bezel 16. Bezel 16 may also beintegral to first antenna 28 and thereby operable to provide thefunctionality of first antenna 28. For example, the first antenna 28 maybe placed and on fixedly attached to the upper surface of bezel 16 orthe first antenna 28 may be integrated with bezel 16. Thus, bezel 16 mayreceive first antenna 28 or serve as first antenna 28.

In some embodiments, the bezel 16 may be integral to or fixedly securedto the housing 12 and may not rotate independent of the upper surface.In other embodiments, bezel 16 may able to rotate in place, roughlyaround the center of the upper surface of the housing 12. Furthermore,for embodiments in which the bezel 16 rotates roughly about the centerof the upper wall 36 of the housing 12, the first antenna 28 may rotateas well. The bezel 16 may be a separate component that is placed on theupper surface of housing 12 and secured thereto. Alternatively, bezel 16may be integral to upper wall 36 or other portion of housing 12. Bezel16 includes a central opening through which display 14 may be positionedand viewed by a user.

The user interface 18 generally allows the user to directly interactwith the electronic device 10 and may include pushbuttons, rotatingknobs, or the like. In exemplary embodiments seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, thehousing 12 may include one or more pushbuttons located on the sidewallsthereof that function as at least a portion of the user interface 18. Invarious embodiments, the display 14 may also include a touch screenoccupying the entire display 14 or a portion thereof so that the display14 functions as at least a portion of the user interface 18. The touchscreen may allow the user to interact with the electronic device 10 byphysically touching, swiping, or gesturing on areas of the display 14.

The location determining element 20 generally determines a currentgeolocation of the electronic device 10 and may process radio frequency(RF) signals from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such asthe global positioning system (GPS) primarily used in the United States,the GLONASS system primarily used in Russia, or the Galileo systemprimarily used in Europe. The location determining element 20 mayinclude satellite navigation receivers, processors, controllers, othercomputing devices, or combinations thereof, and memory. The locationdetermining element 20 may process signals, referred to herein as“location signals”, from one or more satellites that includes data fromwhich geographic information such as the current geolocation isdetermined. The current geolocation may include coordinates, such as thelatitude and longitude, of the current location of the electronic device10. The location determining element 20 may communicate the currentgeolocation to the processing element 24.

Although embodiments of the location determining element 20 may includea satellite navigation receiver, it will be appreciated that otherlocation-determining technology may be used. For example, cellulartowers or any customized transmitting radio frequency towers can be usedinstead of satellites and may be used to determine the location of theelectronic device 10 by receiving data from at least three transmittinglocations and then performing basic triangulation calculations todetermine the relative position of the device with respect to thetransmitting locations. With such a configuration, any standardgeometric triangulation algorithm can be used to determine the locationof the electronic device. The location determining element 20 may alsoinclude or be coupled with a pedometer, accelerometer, compass, or otherdead-reckoning components which allow it to determine the location ofthe electronic device 10. The location determining element 20 maydetermine the current geographic location through a communicationsnetwork, such as by using Assisted GPS (A-GPS), or from anotherelectronic device. The location determining element 20 may even receivelocation data directly from a user.

The communication element 22 generally allows communication withexternal systems or devices, other than GPS systems. The communicationelement 22 may include signal or data transmitting and receivingcircuits, such as amplifiers, filters, mixers, oscillators, digitalsignal processors (DSPs), and the like. The communication element 22 mayestablish communication wirelessly by utilizing radio frequency (RF)signals and/or data that comply with communication standards such ascellular 2G, 3G, or 4G, Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard such as Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.16 standardsuch as Wi-MAX, Bluetooth™, or combinations thereof. In addition, thecommunication element 22 may utilize communication standards such asANT, ANT+, Bluetooth™ low energy (BLE), the industrial, scientific, andmedical (ISM) band at 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), or the like. Alternatively,or in addition, the communication element 22 may establish communicationthrough connectors or couplers that receive metal conductor wires orcables or optical fiber cables. The communication element 22 may be incommunication with the processing element 24 and the memory element 26.

The processing element 24 may include processors, microprocessors,microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), analog and/or digital application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, or combinations thereof. Theprocessing element 24 may generally execute, process, or runinstructions, code, code segments, software, firmware, programs,applications, apps, processes, services, daemons, or the like, or maystep through states of a finite-state machine. The processing element 24may be in communication with the other electronic components throughserial or parallel links that include address busses, data busses,control lines, and the like.

The memory element 26 may include data storage components such asread-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, erasable programmable ROM,random-access memory (RAM), hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks,flash memory, thumb drives, universal serial bus (USB) drives, or thelike, or combinations thereof. The memory element 26 may include, or mayconstitute, a “computer-readable medium”. The memory element 26 maystore the instructions, code, code segments, software, firmware,programs, applications, apps, services, daemons, or the like that areexecuted by the processing element 24. The memory element 26 may alsostore settings, data, documents, sound files, photographs, movies,images, databases, and the like.

The first antenna 28 generally receives an RF signal, such as locationsignals such as GPS signals or communication signals such as Wi-Fisignals, Bluetooth signals and/or ANT signals. Accordingly, the firstantenna 28 is formed from electrically conductive material, such asmetal. In order to provide optimum antenna performance and reduce signalinterference from the housing 12, electronic circuitry in the internalcavity 40 of housing 12 and the user's wrist, the first antenna 28 maybe positioned radially outward from the center of the electronic device10 and upward away from the internal cavity 40 of the housing 12. Thus,the first antenna 28 may be positioned on the upper surface of housing12 on upper wall 36.

First antenna 28 is positioned on the outer surface of housing 12, suchas the upper wall 36, to position the first antenna 28 to improvereception of wireless signals and reduce electromagnetic interferencefrom electronic circuitry and the user's wrist. First antenna 28 may bepositioned on the upper surface of housing 12, one or more sidewalls 38of housing 12, or any combination thereof. Positioning first antenna 28in such a manner exposes the first antenna 28 on an exterior surface ofhousing 12 and increases the separation between first antenna 28,components positioned in the internal cavity 40 of housing 12 and theuser's wrist. For example, first antenna 28 may be integrated with atleast a portion of a bezel 16 that is placed on the upper surface ofhousing 12. Alternatively, first antenna 28 may be integrated with abezel 16 that is integral to the housing 12 such that the first antenna28, bezel 16 and a portion of housing 12 form a single component.

In various embodiments, the first antenna 28 may be integrated with theentirety of bezel 16 or only a portion of the bezel 16 circumference,depending on the length of the first antenna 28. The length, which inexemplary embodiments is roughly equal to its circumference or perimeterdistance, may be determined by the width of first antenna 28 and thefrequency, or alternatively the wavelength or fraction of thewavelength, of the signal to be received. The exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 1 shows the first antenna 28 having an annular shape and occupyingonly a portion of the circumference of the bezel 16 to achieve thedesired length. The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5 shows the firstantenna 28 having an annular shape of bezel 16 and thus occupying theentire circumference of bezel 16. Thus, the length of first antenna 28may be less than or equal to circumference or perimeter distanceassociated with the perimeter of the bezel 16 and/or housing 12.

The width of the first antenna 28 may be the same as the bezel 16, whichmay be determined by the size of the display 14 and the area of theupper surface of the upper wall 36 of the housing 12. The thickness offirst antenna 28 may be limited by the extent to which bezel 16 andfirst antenna 28 are raised from the upper wall 36 of housing 12. Theshape of the first antenna 28 may be substantially similar to the shapeof the bezel 16, which may be determined by the shape of the housing 12and display 14. In exemplary embodiments seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, thefirst antenna 28 may have an arcuate or open-ended annular shape, withan inner edge and an outer edge forming an inner circumference and anouter circumference, respectively. In other embodiments, the shape ofthe first antenna 28 may be a portion of or the same as a square, arectangle, or other polygonal bezel 16. For embodiments in which thefirst antenna is integrated with the bezel 16 and upper wall 36, thefirst antenna 28 will have a width and thickness of bezel 16.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first antenna 28 may be integrated with abezel 16 that integral to a portion of housing 12 of electronic device10 such that the combination is a single component. In embodiments,first antenna 28 is integral to bezel 16 and cannot be separated frombezel 16. As stated above, the first antenna 28 is formed from anelectrically conductive, metallic material. For embodiments in which thefirst antenna 28 is integrated with a bezel 16 integral with a housing12, the bezel 16 and housing 12 are both formed of a metallic orsemi-metallic material. In embodiments, first antenna 28 may be one ormore layers of bezel 16. The bezel 16 may include numbers andincremental marks that are etched into or engraved on the top surface ofbezel 16.

As seen in FIG. 4, the first antenna 28 may be integrated with anannular-shaped, round bezel 16, upper wall 36 and one or more sidewalls38 to form a top case. A lower wall 34 and one or more sidewalls 38 mayform a bottom case. For example, a plurality of screws may pass throughopenings in bezel 16 and tighten into areas that may receive the screwsto secure the top case with the bottom case. Thus, a first antenna 28integrated with a bezel 16 that is integral to a housing 12 may functionas a structural component of housing 12 and thereby provide an upperarea of the internal cavity 40. In embodiments, one or more sidewalls 38of the top case and may overlap with sidewalls 38 of the bottom case.For example, the top surface of the bottom case may include a ridge orraised rim along the perimeter of the top surface and the bottom surfaceof the top case may include a matching recess or cavity to receive theridge or raised rim of the bottom case. In embodiments, the top case andbottom case may interlock. This configuration provides improvedstructural support between the top and bottom cases.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first antenna 28 is integrated with bezel 16,upper wall 36 and one or more sidewalls 38 to form a top case. The firstantenna 28 may enclose a lens 42, display 14 and second antenna 30within housing 12 when the top case is removable or permanently securedto a bottom case, which includes a lower wall 34 and one or moresidewalls 38. The sidewalls 38 of the top case and/or bottom case mayinclude user interface 18, such as pushbuttons. The bottom case mayinclude the second antenna 30. The second antenna 30 may be positionedin the internal cavity 40 of housing 12 such that it is on a parallelplane with the first antenna 28, vertically aligned with the firstantenna 28, and positioned such that a portion of the first antenna 28overlaps or overlies at least a portion of the second antenna 30. Asseen in FIG. 5, the first antenna 28 is integrated with a bezel 16.Thus, the second antenna 30 is positioned such that at least a portionoverlaps or overlies bezel 16, which is first antenna 28 in embodiments.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the second antenna 30 may be positioned inthe internal cavity 40 of the housing 12 and may include patch antennas,microstrip antennas, linear antennas, or other types of antennas thatcan capacitively couple with the first antenna 28 and be used with alocation determining component 20 and/or a communication element 22 inwrist-worn location or navigation devices. In exemplary embodiments, thesecond antenna 30 may be implemented as a metallic trace on a flexibleprinted circuit (FPC). In embodiments, a portion of the second antenna30 may be positioned against the inner surface of the upper wall 36 ofthe housing to improve the capacitance between the first antenna 28 andsecond antenna 30. For example, an adhesive or double-sided tape may beused to secure a second antenna 30 implemented on a FPC to the upperwall 36 in internal cavity 40 of housing 12.

The second antenna 30 may generally be annular-shaped with inner andouter diameter dimensions that are similar to those of a correspondingfirst antenna 28 and the bezel 16 with which the first antenna 28 is atleast partially integrated. The second antenna 30 may be directly orindirectly connected to a location determining component 20 and/or acommunication element 22 positioned in internal cavity 40 of housing 12such that second antenna 30 may communicate signals received by thecombination of first antenna 28 and second antenna 30.

Furthermore, the second antenna 30 may be positioned in the internalcavity 40 of housing 12 such that it is on a parallel plane with thefirst antenna 28 vertically aligned with the first antenna 28, andpositioned such that at least a portion of the first antenna 28 overlapsor overlies at least a portion of the second antenna 30 through theupper wall 36 of the housing 12, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 5. (Verticallyaligned may be defined as along an axis that is transverse to a planedefined by the upper wall 36 of the housing 12.)

In exemplary embodiments, the second antenna 30 is the same shape as thefirst antenna 28 with roughly the same diametrical and length dimensionsas the second antenna 30, and the entirety of the first antenna 28 isaligned with and overlaps the second antenna 30. For example, a firstantenna 28 integrated with one-quarter of the circumference of anannular-shaped, round bezel 16 may capacitively couple with a secondantenna 30 of annular shape having a length of one-quarter circumferenceof bezel 16 and positioned in internal cavity 40 directly below thecorresponding first antenna 28.

In some embodiments, the first antenna 28 may receive signals incombination with the second antenna 30 and communicate the receivedsignals to a component positioned in internal cavity 40. For example,the combination of first antenna 28 and second antenna 30 may receivelocation signals and/or communication signals and provide the receivedsignals to the location determining element 20 and/or communicationelement 22. In some implementations, the first antenna 28 may be coupledwith the second antenna 30 through capacitive or inductive coupling,such that there is electronic communication between the first antenna 28and the second antenna 30. In general terms, the signal received by thefirst antenna 28 may induce a voltage across or current through thesecond antenna 30 despite the separation between the first antenna 28and the second antenna 30. Mutual coupling effects between a pluralityof closely-spaced antennas may enable use of a housing 12 that is whollyor partially composed of metallic or semi-metallic materials. In otherimplementations, the first antenna 28 may be connected to the secondantenna 30 with electrically conductive components. The electricallyconductive connection may be present through the housing 12 between thefirst antenna 28 and the second antenna 30. For example, wires, jumpers,vias, or pogo pins may pass through the housing 12 to electricallyconnect the first antenna 28 and the second antenna 30 to collectivelyform a single antenna to receive location signals or communicationsignals. As described above, a bezel 16 may be positioned on an uppersurface of housing 12 and the first antenna 28 may be integrated with aportion of bezel 16. The second antenna 30 may be wholly orsubstantially enclosed within internal cavity 40 of the housing 12 andpositioned such that it is directly or indirectly connected to the firstantenna 28. In embodiments, a portion of the first antenna 28 and/or thesecond antenna 30 may be positioned within the internal cavity 40 ofhousing 12 and the upper surface of housing 12, such as on an outersurface of the upper wall 36. The first antenna 28 and the secondantenna 30 may be directly connected by an adjacent or overlappingconfiguration of the two antennas, indirectly connected using wires,jumpers, vias or pogo pins, or any combination thereof. Typically, theone or more holes in the housing 12 through which the antennas and/orconductors may pass are sealed with a watertight coating.

In some embodiments, the first antenna 28 receives the signals anddirectly communicates the signals to a component positioned in internalcavity 40, such as the location determining element 20 or communicationelement 22. The second antenna 30 is not included in such embodiments.Typically, the location determining element 20 is positioned in theinternal cavity 40 of housing 12 and may be mounted or retained on aprinted circuit board (PCB), or other electrical substrate. The firstantenna 28 may be connected to the PCB with electrically conductivecomponents, such as wires, jumpers, vias, or pogo pins, that passthrough the housing 12 to communicate received location signals to thelocation determining element 20 or communication element 22. Inimplementations, a portion of the first antenna 28 may pass through anopening within a wall of the housing 12 such that a first portion ispositioned on one or more external surfaces of the housing 12, such asbeing integrated with a portion of bezel 16 on upper surface of housing12, and a second portion of first antenna 28 is positioned in theinternal cavity 40 of the housing 12. For example, first antenna 28 maybe an inverted-F antenna passing from internal cavity 40, through anopening within a wall of housing 12 and positioned on an externalsurface of housing 12. The one or more external surfaces of housing 12on which first antenna 28 is positioned be selected to enhance signalreception. For example, first antenna 28 may pass through an openingwithin a sidewall 38 and be positioned on that sidewall 38, othersidewalls 38 and/or the upper surface of housing 12. Positioning firstantenna 28 in such a manner exposes the first antenna 28 along anexterior surface of housing 12 and increases the separation betweenfirst antenna 28, components positioned in the internal cavity 40 ofhousing 12 and the user's wrist. The signal feed and ground points offirst antenna 28 may be connected to an internal printed circuit boardpositioned in internal cavity 40 through one or more openings in a wall,such as the upper wall, of housing 12 using conductors or portions ofthe first antenna 28. The one or more openings in housing 12 throughwhich the signal feed and ground points of the first antenna 28 pass aresealed with a watertight coating. In other implementations, a secondantenna 30 may be physically coupled with first antenna 28 to extend thelength of first antenna 28, which passes through an opening within awall of housing 12.

In some embodiments, two or more first antennas 28 are positioned on theupper surface of housing 12. The two or more first antennas 28 mayreceive location signals and communication signals and provide thereceived signals to the location determining element 20 andcommunication element 22. In some implementations, the two or more firstantennas 28 are capacitively coupled with two or more second antennas 30positioned in housing 12. The second antennas 30 may be positioned belowthe corresponding first antennas 28 with which they are capacitivelycoupled. For example, second antennas 28 may have an annular in shapeand have an outer diameter and an inner diameter approximately equal tothe outer diameter and the inner diameter of first antennas 28positioned on an upper surface of housing 12. In other implementations,the two or more first antennas 28 pass through one or more openingswithin a housing 12 from internal cavity 40 to an upper surface ofhousing 12. For example, a portion of the first antennas 28 may passthrough an opening within a wall of the housing 12 such that the firstportions of first antennas 28 are positioned on one or more externalsurfaces of the housing 12 and the second portions of first antennas 28are positioned in the internal cavity 40 of the housing 12. The firstportions of first antennas 28 may be integrated with a portion of bezel16 positioned on an upper surface of housing 12.

For example, electronic device 10 may include one first antenna 28 usedreceive location signals and another first antenna 28 used to receiveone or more communication signals, such as Wi-Fi signals, Bluetoothsignals and/or ANT signals. In implementations, the two first antennas28 may be capacitively coupled with two second antennas 30 positioned inhousing 12 having a shape and position corresponding to the firstantennas 28. For example, one first antenna 28 integrated withone-quarter of the circumference of an annular-shaped, round bezel 16may capacitively couple with a second antenna 30 of annular shape havinga length of one-quarter of the circumference of bezel 16 and positionedin internal cavity 40 below the corresponding first antenna 28 such thata substantial portion of the first antenna 28 overlaps with secondantenna 30. Similarly, another first antenna 28 integrated withthree-quarter of the circumference of the annular-shaped, round bezel 16may capacitively couple with a second antenna 30 of annular shape havinga length of three-quarter circumference of bezel 16 and positioned ininternal cavity 40 below the corresponding other first antenna 28 suchthat a substantial portion of the first antenna 28 overlaps with thissecond antenna 30. The two first antennas 28 may be positioned on and/orintegrated with bezel 16 in an adjacent manner such that one firstantenna 28 does not overlap with the other first antenna 28. In otherimplementations, the two first antennas 28 may pass through one or moreopenings within a housing 12 from internal cavity 40 to an upper surfaceof housing 12. The signal feed and ground points of both first antennas28 may be connected to an internal printed circuit board positioned ininternal cavity 40 through one or more openings in a wall, such as theupper wall, of housing 12 using conductors or portions of the firstantennas 28. The one or more openings in housing 12 through which thesignal feed and ground points of the two first antennas 28 pass aresealed with a watertight coating. In either implementation, the signalsreceived by the plurality of first antennas 28, independently or incombination with a plurality of corresponding second antennas 30, may beprovided to the location determining element 20 and the communicationelement 22.

In some embodiments, bezel 16 may integrate a first antenna 28capacitively coupled two or more second antennas 30 positioned ininternal cavity 40 for the combination to receive a plurality ofsignals. For example, first antenna 28 may be integrated with a bezel 16that integral to a portion of housing 12 such that the combination is asingle component and two second antennas 30 may be positioned ininternal cavity 40 having shape and length characteristics to receivelocation signals and communications signals (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,ANT, etc.).

Use of a bezel 16 that is placed on an upper surface of housing 12 orintegral with housing 12 allows a metallic or semi-metallic material tobe incorporated with the bezel 16 and/or housing 12 of the electronicdevice 10. The use of a metallic or semi-metallic bezel 16 and/orhousing 12 provides many benefits over plastic or non-metalliccomponents. For example, the increased stiffness provided by a metallicbezel 16, when compared with a bezel formed of a plastic or rubbermaterial, allows for a thinner bezel 16 that may still be sufficientlydurable and robust to adequately compress a sealing gasket, which may beused to make housing 12 water resistant. A plastic bezel 16 operable toprovide similar mechanical strength would need to be much larger than ametallic or semi-metallic bezel 16 amongst other possible modifications.Additionally, available manufacturing processes and techniques for metalparts (forging, machining, casting, etc.) provide opportunities forsurface finishes (brushing, sandblasting, polishing, painting,anodizing, etc.) that are not currently applied to a bezel 16 or housing12 composed of a plastic or rubber material.

Use of metallic or semi-metallic materials may also provide an aestheticbenefit, in addition to providing improved mechanical and electricalcharacteristics. Traditionally, any bezel 18 or cover for the display14, along with the rest of the housing 12, has been manufactured fromplastic or non-metallic materials to avoid unwanted shielding orattenuation of the location signals being received from thesatellite-based position system. Some wearers find the non-metallic,plastic material construction of a housing 12 to be not as durable orattractive as metallic, wrist-worn electronic devices, such as watches,and therefore do not wear the electronic devices in public settings orat social occasions. The metallic or semi-metallic bezel 16 and firstantenna 28 of the current technology enable use of a wholly or partiallymetallic housing 12 of the electronic device 10. This may result in amore fashionable appearance for electronic device 10 so that users willwear the electronic device 10 more frequently.

Although the technology has been described with reference to theembodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is notedthat equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the technology as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the technology, what isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includesthe following:

What is claimed is:
 1. A wrist-worn electronic device comprising: ahousing including a lower surface configured to contact a wearer'swrist, an opposing upper surface, and an internal cavity; a displaypositioned along the upper surface of the housing; a locationdetermining element configured to process a location signal to determinea current geolocation of the electronic device; and a first antennapositioned on the upper surface of the housing electrically connected toa second antenna positioned at least partially enclosed within theinternal cavity.
 2. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, whereinthe first antenna directly contacts the second antenna.
 3. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, further comprising anelectrical wire used to electrically connect the first antenna to thesecond antenna.
 4. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 3, whereinthe wherein the electrical wire passes through the housing.
 5. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first antenna andthe second antenna collectively form a single antenna.
 6. The wrist-wornelectronic device of claim 4, wherein the first antenna and secondantenna function in cooperation to receive the location signal from asatellite-based positioning system and communicate the location signalto the location determining element.
 7. The wrist-worn electronic deviceof claim 1, further comprising an annular bezel with an outer diameterand an inner diameter, the bezel positioned on the upper surface of thehousing along a perimeter of the display, wherein the first antenna isintegrated with at least a portion of the bezel.
 8. The wrist-wornelectronic device of claim 7, wherein the first antenna has an outerdiameter and an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameterand the inner diameter of the bezel, but having a length that is lessthan a circumference of the bezel.
 9. The wrist-worn electronic deviceof claim 7, wherein the bezel is integral to the housing.
 10. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second antenna iswholly enclosed within the housing.
 11. The wrist-worn electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the second antenna is partially enclosed within thehousing.
 12. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 1, wherein thesecond antenna includes a metallic trace on a flexible printed circuit.13. A wrist-worn electronic device comprising: a housing including alower surface configured to contact a wearer's wrist, an opposing uppersurface, and an internal cavity; a display positioned along the uppersurface of the housing; a location determining element configured toprocess a location signal to determine a current geolocation of theelectronic device; and a first antenna positioned on the upper surfaceof the housing electrically connected to a second antenna positioned atleast partially within the internal cavity such that the first antennaand the second antenna collectively form a single antenna configured toreceive the location signal from a satellite-based positioning systemand communicate the location signal to the location determining element;and an electrical wire electrically connecting the first antenna to thesecond antenna.
 14. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 13,wherein the electrical wire passes through the housing.
 15. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 13, wherein the second antennaincludes a metallic trace on a flexible printed circuit.
 16. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 13, further comprising an annularbezel with an outer diameter and an inner diameter, the bezel positionedon the upper surface of the housing along a perimeter of the display,wherein the first antenna is integrated with at least a portion of thebezel.
 17. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 16, wherein thefirst antenna has an outer diameter and an inner diameter approximatelyequal to the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the bezel, buthaving a length that is less than a circumference of the bezel.
 18. Thewrist-worn electronic device of claim 13, wherein the bezel is integralto the housing.
 19. The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 13,wherein the second antenna is partially enclosed within the housing. 20.The wrist-worn electronic device of claim 13, wherein the second antennaincludes a metallic trace on a flexible printed circuit.